


Hot Pursuit

by snarechan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Car Chases, Chases, Comedy, Gen, Parkour, Shootouts, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 09:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan/pseuds/snarechan
Summary: After an unforeseen run in with Imperial forces it's going to take Noctis and company everything they have to escape.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is actually a combination of two preconceived concepts I'd hoped to experience in the game, but weren't _quite_ realized: epic car chases in the Regalia and Gladiolus being able to turn anything into a weapon. We sort of get the former in chapter 13 and the latter with the recent Gladiolus episode, but a little bit more doesn't hurt, right? After smooshing those two ideas together the rest just sort of followed and spiraled out of control, hah hah. 
> 
> Thanks to my dad for humoring my constant, and I mean _constant_ , questions about cars, weaponry, and physics. And also a huge thanks to Keppiehed for taking time out of their incredibly busy schedule to give this story a thorough once-over.

"I want one of ev-er-ree-thing," Prompto announced. The vendor behind the cart paused mid-flip, spatula suspended with ground beef on it, and raised her eyebrows at the spectacle he presented. Prompto pressed his hands and face against the glass cover and salivated over the sight of so much delicious fare.

"Maybe not _everything_ ," Noctis chimed. He refrained from touching the protective case but hovered closely and eyed the food the same way his friend did. "Unless you want to split it fifty-fifty?"

Gladiolus came up behind both men to wrap his arms around their necks. He applied some of his weight and caused them to sag. To the proprietor, he said, "Ignore these two clowns. I'll have the all-meat quesadilla, and they can share a kid's meal."

"Lay off!" Noctis said under his breath, elbowing the guardsman in the ribs. Gladiolus didn't budge.

"That'll be seven hundred for the carnivore special and baby burrito," the owner said. She'd relaxed at their antics, her lip quivering around her toothpick as she resisted a smile.

With a whine, Prompto feebly beat at Gladiolus' arm. The group of them argued a bit longer, opting to upgrade to half a dozen tacos with the all-meat quesadilla along with a cup of chia seed aqua fresca for Ignis. The adviser claimed to be not hungry and opted to stay with the car to plan the rest of their trip to Lestallum.

They took a seat at the small table and plastic chairs to wait for the vendor to put together their to-go order. Prompto pulled out his camera and fiddled with the settings while Noctis and Gladiolus sat opposite of him.

"Hm, nice little town," Gladiolus observed. 'Town' was a rather generous term, considering the stop was more akin to an industrial zone. Numerous distribution centers, gas stations, and factories made up the majority of the buildings. A few motels dotted the area for transporters to sleep between loads. A Crow's Nest diner was down the street next to a dingy bar, but that was it.

"Does anyone even live here?" Noctis asked, able to take in one end of the settlement to the other with a single sweep of his gaze. The only people he'd crossed paths with were the woman with the food cart, two produce merchants, and some trade workers. There weren't any residential houses or schools in sight, just people passing through, like them. It was desolate.

"Didn't Ignis say something about how most of the occupants commute?" Prompto spoke up. He glanced away from the viewfinder of his camera to say something else, but choked on his words. The color drained from his face and left his freckles in stark contrast on his cheeks.

Noctis' brows cinched and he started to turn in place, but Gladiolus looped an arm around the back of his chair and leaned in. His torso blocked Noctis' view, but also hid the prince. Remaining casual, Gladiolus asked, "How many are there?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Prompto said, "Some boss-looking Imperial just drove up. He's got a bunch of soldiers flanking him. The rest are fanning out; I can't count them all."

"Magitek or human?"

"Both? I think." Leaning forward, Prompto whispered, "All of them are openly packing heat! What the hell?"

"Tch. Like we haven't dealt with those odds before," Noctis said. His fingers clenched onto his knees.

"Cool it. There are innocent bystanders nearby," Gladiolus warned. He nodded his chin in the direction of the proprietor who took their order, along with the delivery drivers and shopping tourists. Everyone, including the townsfolk, tensed as they watched the Niflheim Empire start hassling people.

The soldiers sounded as if they were searching for something or _someone_. A grunt demanded credentials, pushing people around when they weren't swift enough to answer. At a certain point an elderly man in overalls was shoved to the ground as the individual in charge barked, "Such insolence! Do you know who I am?"

Noctis leapt to his feet, and Gladiolus tugged him back into his chair. He was incensed at the treatment and didn't bother hiding it with his tone. "Let go of me! You saw what they just did to that guy."

Gladiolus' lip curled. He disapproved of the enemy's bullying tactics and also wanted to take action, but warred with his duty to protect the crown prince. Their waitress, the same vendor they'd ordered from, set a metal tray on the center of the table. It held a basket of nachos smothered in cheese.

"On the house," she said, giving everyone sitting at the table a meaningful stare and then transferring that look to the Imperial troops. In turn, Gladiolus nodded once. She closed up shop thereafter and led a small family of travelers toward the diner.

"Huh. I thought we ordered our stuff to go? And with more tortilla," Prompto said.

Inching the steaming pile of food closer, Gladiolus said, "On the count of three, _run_."

"Are you kidding me right now? I'm not—" Noctis tried to argue.

"Both of you need to lead them away from the thoroughfare and reach the Regalia. If these assholes want to give chase then they'll have to follow us out of town and away from the civilians," he elaborated.

"What about you?" Prompto asked, but he'd tucked away his camera. Subtly, he pulled up his bootstraps under the table.

"I'm buying you guys a head start, but I'll be right behind you. Don't slow down for anything, got it?"

There wasn't time to plan further. The superior officer and his cronies were upon them. "You there, state your name and business!"

Gladiolus gripped the hot nachos with cheese in hand and slammed the entire basket into the face of the nearest Empire soldier. It turned out to be the man yelling orders. As he howled in surprise and pain, Noctis upended the table onto his two subordinates. One of them stumbled, but the other combatant brushed it aside. Gladiolus eliminated that enemy with the metal tray, catching it midair when Noctis sent it flying by kicking over the table. He bashed the tray against the soldier's helmet like a shield.

Prompto and Noctis used the distraction to flee. The rest of the guards dismissed their suspects and gave chase. Gunshots rang out. If Noctis were a fraction of a second too slow a bullet would have nicked him in the heel, but it only kicked up dust where he'd been.

His friend scrambled around a corner and into an alleyway that became progressively narrower. Halfway down the passage and they realized it was fenced off. Prompto couldn't brake fast enough and slammed into the metal links. Noctis readied to stay and fight his way back out, but a blue light appeared at Prompto's fingertips. His handgun twirled into his palm as it finished materializing. He ducked behind a dumpster and provided cover fire.

Noctis changed course and leapt onto some trashcans, using them like stepping stones to wall jump onto an escape ladder. His momentum knocked the garbage containers over, causing a few soldiers to trip and pile up in each other's way. From the fire escape Noctis warped past the fence, calling forth one of his own weapons as he fell to the opposite side. Sparks arose as his blade cut through the thin wire of the fence and allowed Prompto to squeeze through.

"Dude, wait! This way." Bursting onto the street, Prompto snagged the prince by the sleeve and redirected him before Noctis got them lost. He'd remembered their car parked under a Cup Noodle sign after Gladiolus made certain to comment on it earlier. They spotted it now, the billboard with the red and white lettering visible over a set of buildings and guiding them to where Ignis waited with the Regalia.

The adviser was mulling over a map unfolded across the hood of the car as he highlighted routes. Ignis looked up as something dark and fast caught in his peripheral, double-taking Prompto's flailing and their combined shouting. It was doubtful that he understood their overlapped warnings to start the car, but he haphazardly refolded the map and capped his marker, returning to inside the vehicle and turning the key for the engine regardless.

Noctis slid across the trunk and into the back seat while Prompto hastened to the front. Looking between them, Ignis took note that they were one man short. He asked, "Where's Gladio?"

"He promised to be right behind us," the prince said. He wrapped an elbow around his headrest and glanced back the way they'd come. Those Imperials that had trailed them were all that broke from between two warehouses. The troop resumed shooting at them, despite the innocent denizens who had been present as collateral damage.

To get a better vantage point, Prompto stood and planted his foot on the back of his seat. He summoned two pistols and returned fire, although with two weapons he wouldn't be able to keep pace for long. Noctis called forth his own gun, the Cerberus sniper rifle, and rested both arms on the Regalia's frame to steady his uncertain aim. He helped Prompto pick off targets. The task became harder once the enemy ducked inside the surrounding architecture.

"Watch yourself!" Ignis shouted and tugged Prompto down by his belt. The blond man collapsed backwards, ankles over his head and shoulder blades crammed against the dashboard. A series of bullet holes, three in total, made a concentrated break in the windshield where Prompto's heart had been.

Ignis peeled the car out of its parking spot to distance themselves from the threat, but before they could really leave a Magitek Trooper flew through a corrugated metal wall. The machine slid across the ground and stopped in the middle of the road, shooting off red glints of electricity. Its lights for eyes dimmed, and then went black as it shut off. Slamming on the breaks, Ignis narrowly avoided ramming into its prone body.

Gladiolus was visible through the MT-shaped hole with the hilt of his broadsword resting on his shoulder. He raised his free arm in disbelief, calling, "Hey! What are you all still doing here? I thought I told you guys to hightail it."

"Then quit complaining and come on!" Noctis said. He reloaded and took a potshot at one of the soldiers, forcing them away from the windows. The barrage kept the enemy at bay until Gladiolus entered the Regalia. The group reunited, and Ignis maneuvered the vehicle around the obstruction left in the street and out of town.

The Niflheim troops pursued them, the MTs particularly relentless, but soon even those contraptions didn't stand a chance against the Regalia's horsepower. With the Imperials out of sight, Prompto gave a loud whoop and flopped into his seat proper. "All right, score one for Team Noct! Man, Igster-buddy, you should have seen it. Gladio totally cheesed this one guy – _literally!_ I can't believe it."

"It was pretty cool," Noctis added, and granted Gladiolus a fist-bump.

Ignis refrained from joining in their merriment, however. His brows furrowed as he adjusted the rearview mirror. "Our celebration may be a tad premature, gentlemen. It appears we have unwanted company."

"Hm?" Prompto inclined his head and spotted what their friend referred to. He whipped around, kneeling on the leather of his seat, and gaped. "What the—? Is that really a carrier ship? How is it keeping pace with us?"

The Niflheim army was renowned for their air superiority, and there was no mistaking the enemy insignia labeled across the airship's exterior, but that's where the familiarity ended. This particular model was less boxy than the other transports they'd encountered. Another difference was the fact it was equipped with actual firepower. There were four cannons in total – two on both sides of the bow and two mirroring those on the stern – and a pair of them rotated in the Regalia's direction.

"Please tell me you remember all your evasive training," Gladiolus said. At Ignis' lack of a reply he looked to the driver's seat, where the man in question was steeling himself.

As soon as Ignis came to a decision he switched off the traction control and gripped the e-brake. He stared straight ahead as he said, "I strongly advise everyone to hold onto something."

"Oh _G_ _od_ , I'm gonna hurl," Prompto declared and held the door handle with both hands. His shoulders hunched to his ears as he clenched his eyes shut.

"Do _not_ throw up in my dad's car," Noctis chastised.

" _Hah!_ " a crackly voice rang from the Imperial ship's speakers, interrupting the argument before it could begin. A man in dark armor stood at the hatch of the airship, near the transmitter. If those in the car squinted, they could see him coated in a layer of bright orange – cheese – marking him as the superior officer that'd threatened them earlier. " _So, thought you could evade Brigadier General Loqi? Think again, your Royal Highness! You may have bested me alongside your father's lapdog, Cor the Immortal, but he's not here to save you this time!_ "

"Who even is this loser?" Prompto asked in a stage whisper, never mind that the enemy couldn't hear him from so far away.

"I believe we encountered him at Norduscaen during its blockade, alongside the marshal," Ignis helpfully supplied.

"Oooh, that guy!" Prompto said, after pondering the information.

Gladiolus asked, "You still don't remember him at all, do you?"

"Not even remotely," their blond friend confessed.

The cannons locked into place and let off a stream of heavy caliber bullets. Ignis swerved to avoid their vehicle being torn apart. At the first fork Ignis feinted into the turn, yanking on the emergency brake and putting on the throttle. The Regalia went into a severe slide. Smoke came from the pavement where the rubber tires burned.

A second turn approached not three kilometers farther. He repeated the same maneuver, cranking the wheel and drifting onto the dirt side road. This offshoot was much rougher than the main path; the car's shocks were unable to control all the bumps from fallen branches or dips from potholes. Ignis still gained some distance, not to mention the forest provided temporary cover. A little breathless, he said, "There's a tunnel some ways ahead. If we manage to reach it we may lose them!"

"Make it happen," Noctis said, just as a sniper shot almost found his head. Gladiolus took advantage of his position in the rear of the vehicle to throw his body over the prince's, and summoned a shield to defend them both from the attack. A sizable dent was left in Gladiolus' defenses, but the assault didn't penetrate.

The airship rapidly changed directions; fire burst from its engines as it rammed through the line of trees. Its cannons adjusted faster, and soon a bullet storm trailed after them. Ignis steered from side-to-side but got pigeonholed against the guardrail.

At the sound of metal scraping Prompto screamed, thinking an onslaught was imminent. Nothing struck him, though. He peeked open first one eye and then the other. They were still moving and being fired upon, but hovering in the air was an arsenal of glowing weapons. Noctis had summoned his ancestors' armory.

The different blades didn't just surround the prince; he'd instructed them to protect the entirety of the Regalia and those inside it. The weapons flashed and spun, intercepting and deflecting bullets. Some ricocheted and struck the enemy airship.

Noctis wasn't finished.

"Don't you dare—" Gladiolus said, but his ward took off in a bolt of blue lightning. Noctis warped in front of the carrier ship, floating midair, and commanded his arsenal to slash at the cannons firing on his friends.

" _What are you fools_ doing? _Destroy him, he's right there!_ " Loqi screeched.

Noctis chopped one of the cannons clean off. He teleported to the next and wailed away with everything he had. The prince's Shield of the Just took the brunt of the Imperial's retaliation. Although he chipped away at the airship's resistance and held his own, it was apparent Noctis was draining from the offensive.

"The pass is coming up!" Gladiolus said. He'd leaned forward to protect Ignis once Noctis had left his cover, preventing any wayward bullets from getting passed.

"Is Noct gonna make it?" Prompto asked. A distinct note of panic caused his voice to crack.

"He will make it." The leather of Ignis' gloves creaked with the intensity of his hold on the wheel. His eyes alternated between the road, the speedometer, and their charge. If he misjudged and sped too fast Noctis may fall short of reaching the Regalia, but if he went too slow they may be caught before escaping.

"He's slowing down!" Prompto said.

Without diverting his gaze from the opening of the tunnel, Ignis kept the car steady and reiterated, " _He will make it._ "

Loqi took action himself. He commandeered a missile launcher from one of his subordinates and pulled the trigger. Noctis brought both arms together, forming his arsenal in front of him, but the projectile's impact was too much. All his weapons vanished in a burst of sparkling blue and orange fire as he hurtled towards them.

Dismissing his own shield, Gladiolus dove for him and hung half out of his seat. He caught Noctis by the collar of his jacket when he struck the trunk and rolled toward the road rushing underneath the vehicle. For a precarious moment both men dangled there. To keep them steady Prompto reached between the two front seats for Gladiolus' boots and grabbed hold.

Overhead, the airship's speakers magnified Loqi's glee. The general bragged, " _Now to finish you off_ — _What?_ "

The Regalia raced into the tunnel, cutting off whatever the enemy had in store for them. An explosion shook the mountain. The entrance collapsed, blocked by rocks and metal debris. The ceiling cracked, a few pieces breaking off and landing on the pavement. Ignis drove around the obstacles. Prompto tugged Gladiolus, who in turn pulled Noctis back to the safety of the car.

"Are you out of your goddamned mind, doing a stupid stunt like that?" Gladiolus snapped, but his hands patted Noctis down in search of blood or broken bones.

The prince groaned and slapped at him. It wasn't enough to deter Gladiolus from inspecting his condition, so he groused instead. "Bought us time, didn't it?"

"Gladio's assessment…isn't unfounded. It was brash of you to take on an entire airship without us," Ignis hedged, "but that said, yes, thanks to you we were allotted the opportunity to flee."

Interrupting the debate, Prompto asked, "Is it okay for me to be sick now?" An inflection in his voice caused Ignis to snap his head towards their friend. What he saw there made him jerk the car to a standstill. He only took long enough to put the Regalia in park and reach across Prompto to open the door for him. The blond man then upchucked all over the side of the road.

Everyone grimaced at the display. When Prompto's retching tapered off, Ignis hesitated with a hand hovering over his back before giving him a few rubs up and down his spine. "There, there. Get it all out."

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't pay for that lunch," Gladiolus observed. At the mere mention of food Prompto's vomiting resumed. Ignis sent the guardsman a scathing look and also earned a punch to the shoulder from Noctis. Clearing his throat, he said, "Uh, my bad?"

Shaking his head, Ignis retrieved a handful of peppermint candies from the center console and a handkerchief from inside his coat pocket. "Come now, try and have some of these. They'll settle your stomach."

Prompto looked sickened by the idea of eating anything, but he accepted the offerings. He wiped his mouth off with the cloth and shoved all the mints in his mouth. For a moment he let the candies rest on his tongue, and then recovered enough resolve to swish them from cheek-to-cheek and chew. He wordlessly tried to return the tissue to Ignis, but their friend adamantly shook his head for him to keep it.

"So where to now?" Gladiolus asked.

Noctis paused in retrieving a bottle of water from the cooler at his feet and glanced at their backs. Rubble blocked the path, and no one could know if Loqi and his army had managed to survive the crash landing. He hummed and said, "All we can do is move forward…"

He followed through and grabbed the drink, pressing the cool base to Prompto's temple, who startled at the sudden chill. Once he realized what was happening, Prompto took the bottle in hand. The prince scrutinized the dents and scratches that littered the car's surface now that he was facing forward again. "Maybe we should backtrack and visit Cindy really quick?"

"But not too fast!" Prompto emphasized, still sounding queasy.

"Leisurely onward, then," Ignis agreed, and closed the car door for Prompto. The Regalia squealed in protest as he shifted gears, postponing their journey to Lestallum and making their way to Hammerhead for repairs. And, hopefully, with less intrusions by the Niflheim Empire.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [writing blog on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) for more content!


End file.
